Lynne Williams (Squiggle) is one of the most creative people I've ever met. I'm envious of the young children in her classes - they get a daily diet of fun, whacky and effective learning experiences. Lynne currently teaches in South Wales, UK. Here's a taste of what she gets up to...
WHAT's NEW? You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page for new items!
Before April 2008! - A description of me, A class song, Pirates in town, Kipper's Birthday, Meet Freddy, A strange parcel... April 2008 - Gingerbread Lady comes to class April 2008 - Wow Washing Line
April 2008 - Learning to Learn Week
May 2008 - MI Spoon Puppets, Thinking Hats
May 2008 - Thinking Box
July 2008 - A Conversation about time...
MARCH 2009 - Children singing the class song
A description of me...
"you're just a big kid with old legs" (the most creative 4 yr old I've ever met!)
A Class Song...
A class song to start the day - the joint effort of children and staff made up this catchy little number! Its to the tune of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and includes actions, instruments, effectual (is that the right word?!) pauses and higher voices in parts! Its quite amusing to see Nursery and Reception children pull a 'thinking' face for the 'think what' section!
"In our classroom we can say that we care and share all day
Helping others, smiling lots.
Listening, learning, thinking whaaatttt?! (word stretched and gradually higher pitch!)
In our classroom we can say that we'll do this for today" (thumbs up, to the side or down)
The most important part is the singing and reference to the song all day long - creating the class ownership and safe learning community. The impact has been great. The behaviours are referred to all the time by the children.
Feel free to use...but even better...and far more effective... is to make one up yourself with your class on board. We started with ideas of what a happy, learning classroom would look like and sound like...followed with photos.....then put in an order....and then added to a song! And I'm not musical at all....so have a go!
Ahoy...the pirates are in town... the themed day included (amongst other things!)...
Making a pirate ship and walking the plank
Meeting Pirate Parrot Peggy
Making up an authentic pirate dance to authentic pirate music!!
Working in teams to create the maps needed by Captain Pegleg - he'll be here in 30 mins and will want them finished so he can find his treasure!
Rescuing Swashbuckler Williams the Fearsome Heart from a serious injury!
How many attitudes and skills were developed through one themed day?
How many different learning styles were catered for?
How many Multiple Intelligences were encourged, developed, used?
How many areas of learning in the Foundation Phase (Welsh Curriculum) were addressed during this holistic approach?
Wrapping the biggest present ever... ...another themed day full of fun and learning experiences!
(No Kippers were harmed in the making of this - only injured when dropped on his head - but he was taken immediately to our first aid expert!)
Meet Freddy...
Freddy the Frog is 12 years old. He was a (joke) gift to me by a friend when I qualified as a teacher and he has never left my side since! Freddy lives in whichever classroom is my home. He has seen more of me in action than anyone else - oh, if only he could talk human language!
Freddy has been loved, looked after, talked to, listened to and taught by over 360 children - ranging from Nursery through to Year 6 (and yes - Year 6 loved him just as much....in more of a mascot, teasing way!)
Freddy has direct contact via mobile phone with Frogland....and you wouldn't believe the problems they encounter there! BUT we always manage to solve them for Freddy and his froggy friends!
Watch out for more about Freddy and how we have helped him and he has helped us over the years.........
Freddy learns to use the ...
If you've ever worked in Nursery/Reception you will understand the problem of the toilet area - especially if they are connected to your classroom!! They can be a real sensory experience - but not of the 'nice' kind! An interesting discussion took place after a particularly bad 'toilet' day in our class. I was describing the mess to looks of horror from the children - wondering how on earth it had happened!
Responses that came from the children... " well.....it wasn't us it must have been the ones in the hall" (the ones in the hall said the same thing!) "well....it could have been the night elves" "well....maybe it was you" (!) "well......I know....I know....it was Freddy Frog...cos they don't have toilets in Frogland"
So - we embarked on teaching Freddy how to use the toilet area. After much discussion and showing Freddy what to do....the toilet area still remained a place you would not wish to go! The children's answer was that maybe Freddy couldn't remember very well. One child offered to phone her mum and stay with Freddy overnight!
Eventually it was decided to take a series of photos and make a display in the toilets!
The children took the photos - with a little help - sequenced them and prepared number labels.
It made a big difference!
It was the turn of Little Red Riding Hood this week to need help...
I received a phone call from the woodcutter - he had become very good friends with Little Red Riding Hood and her family. He was very upset as some children had laughed at Little Red Riding Hood in her school because she found it hard to learn to read words. She came home crying and very sad. Little Red Riding Hood is very good at making things and painting and jumping but she finds reading hard even though she would really like to read words. ("thats mean" says one of my Reception boys, another child says "we wouldn't do that because we care and share in here" - We have one rule for reading in our class....and one rule only.....we must always make it FUN)
So the woodcutter had made up a game for Little Riding Hood to play - it would help her to learn words. But he has sent it to us first to try it out and let him know what we think.
The game - a simple matching game - HF words on A4 paper - scrunched up - chucked around the playground. It became a challenge to find them all....match them up....and shout we're ready - racing against the clock! All 15 children worked together successfully.....and enjoyed scrunching the paper up again and throwing it around the playground to start the game again. It was followed with a competition of who could shout the words out the loudest - the adults or the children! We woke up the local residents!
Then the children evaluated the game for the woodcutter...suggestions... * do it on dry wipe boards then the paper don't get messy and wet * stick the words on vars and drive them around *get blu-tack and put them on the trees on her way to school *make up a dance and song as you find them.
Next activity - find your own way to help Little Red Riding Hood with her words...you can work alone, with a friend, with a few friends....
....and off they went....
- out came the computer and paint programme
- out came paper and pens
- out came glue, scissors
- out came a drum
- out came the big building blocks and blu tack - for a word castle - obviously!!!
Some worked alone
Some worked with others
Interesting gender split - all girls and one boy went straight for paper, pens, scissors and glue and sat on the floor area - very busy and mostly working alone or with one other.
All the other boys went straight for the building blocks saying - YES we can work as a team here boys - 3 set about building - 3 others went off and cut out the words and brought them back ready to stick on - a real team effort
Final activity - make a train on the floor - sitting in line - superhero pencil fingers out - write on the child's back in front of you - visualising the words we have just read.
End of day - happy, real focus on reading in a fun....non-threatening.....way. And of course....we helped Little Red Riding Hood!
WORD OF THE WEEK in my class - 'plearning'.........mixture of playing and learning - not created by me.....created by a very creative 4 yr old in my class who simply said we don't just play in our class and we don't just learn...hee hee...we plearn! Brilliant - imagine the look on inspectors faces if they heard that!!!!
A strange parcels arrives with a thump...!
A transcript of an hour in our Pre-Nursery/Nursery/Reception class - super kids, great adults!
9.24 - Large cardboard box full of different fresh fruit sellotaped up and writing put on top, deposited at high speed in the middle of the playground - on the spot 'engage the children' idea to working with fruit!
9.25 - Children arrive back from assembly
9.26 - Teacher - Something happened when you were in assembly - we heard a loud loud BANG - and we didin't know what it was!
Child - was it us banging the door?
Teacher - no - it came from the other way....and it wasn't in our classroom...it must have been outside! Can you help us investigate?
Children - YES!
9.28 - Children all walk carefully outside and around to the playground - stopping dead at the railings!
Child - there's a box!
Teacher - wow - what shall we do?
Child - go and look at it
Child - don't touch it - it might be dangerous!
9.29 - Children all run to the box - screams of delight - not one child touches it - they all stand around! (nothing to do with us adults - we let them work it out together!! - we all thought it would be ripped open by the first one there!)
9.30 - Child - there's writing on the box!
Child - what does it say?
Teacher - I don't know...I can't quite read it....Can you help me?
Children - yes
Teacher - mmmm....it begains with 't'.......ttttt.....
Rec Child - TO....!
Rec child - mmmmmm....there's 'n' - and does aeroplane action
Teacher - nnnnnn.....
Child - there's an s
Children - nursery! its for us!
Teacher - there's more words....
Child - i can see 'and'
Teacher - 'r'
Children - reception......its for all of us!!
Child - who's it from?
Teacher - i don't know - what shall we do
Children - OPEN it!!
Teacher - how?
9.33 - Children all begin working together to rip the sellotape off. Some stand back and just watch - others pass out the contents
9.34 - Child - bananas!
Child - wow
Child - look
Child - whats this paper? (opens it up) - ITS SPORTACUS!!!!!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKK!!!! (and shows everyone the picture)
Teacher - who is sportacus
Children - he's from lazy town....
Teacher - why do you think there is a picture of him in the box?
Child - cos he sent us the fruit - he eats fruit!
Child - it came in his aeroplane!
Teacher - oh! what shall we do with it?
Child - take it inside and eat it
Child - make a drink with it like sportacus!
Children - come on! (and drag us adults along!)
9.40 - One child cries as they have nothing to hold - another child says 'here - help me' and hands one handle of his apple bag to the other child
9.41 - 8 children attempt to move the now empty box across the playground - they hold it up high above their heads - hands everywhere - laughing when it falls. They persevere and get it inside!
9.43 - children standing around chatting animatedly. some quiet and looking.
Teacher - how shall we sit to talk about what to do
Child - A CIRCLE
All get into a circle
Teacher - why did Sportacus send us this package? Whisper to a friend what you think. Whisper to another friend what you think
anyone want to share their idea?
Child - i know - Little Red Riding phoned Sportacus and asked him to send us a present cos she wanted to say thank you for us helping her to learn to read
Teacher - wow - how kind! what can we use on our body to explore the fruit?
Children - eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet (!)
ok - lets go!!
9.50 - Group activities commense - fruit tasting, smelling, touching, cutting etc......lemons, limes, raspberries, blackberries, bananas, apples, pears, pomegranite, melon, oranges, kiwi
Descriptive language - disgusting, delicious, yummy, sticky, juicy, oooooo there's black bits inside it!, squidgy, yuk, sour, sweet, bumpy, wrinkly, smooth, hairy, scrumptitious
10.25 - an aeroplane goes overhead at playtime - kids shouting thank you to it madly - they think it is sportacus!
A great morning!
The WOW washing line..
Celebrating learning achievements ...but with a difference!
Washing line at child level - across a space in the room (watch it doesn't become a health and safety risk!) or as part of a wall display.
Buy some cheap wooden pegs and encourage each child to decorate/paint/write their name/attach a picture or photo of their face onto their wooden peg.
This becomes the personalised 'wow' peg that holds learning achievements on the 'wow washing line'
The difference...it's not up to me (the teacher) or any adult in the classroom to decide which piece of learning goes on the 'wow washing line' - it is totally up to each individual child. Nor are we allowed to suggest it should be just literacy/numeracy or anything else that can be recorded nicely and neatly on paper and double mounted!
Of course - it could be a piece of writing...or a sum....but equally it could be a piece of abstract art, a photo of a child playing music and dancing (they can request a photo to be printed), a print out from the computer, a moment the child describes (e.g. helping someone) which an adult scribes (my class are 3-5yr olds)
The only criteria is that it's something they are proud of achieving.
It generates much discussion, focusses on personal choice and personal reflection and can be changed as often as they like!
All of the intelligences are celebrated..................
It's just a slight variation on the
'Fleetham Esteem Board'
(Book - 'Multiple Intelligences in practice' by Mike Fleetham Page 78 - available to buy at www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk )
...which works with younger kids.
So what happens when a GINGERBREAD LADY dressed in a pink polka-dot bikini arrives in your Early Years classroom.....?
stereotypes are questioned
empathy occurs
problems are solved
comparison of texts take place
imagination and creativity blossom
team spirit develops
laughter resounds
learning becomes inspirational
AND 3,4,5 YEAR OLDS DISCOVER IN 17 QUALITY QUESTIONS THAT IT'S A GINGERBREAD LADY IN THE THINKING BIN TODAY!
So - how did a gingerbread lady dressed in a pink polka dot bikini arrive in the classroom?
Basically - a late night at a Governor's Meeting meant I was too tired to stop at Tesco's to pick up the regular 'gingerbread man'! HOWEVER a gingerbred man was needed to engage the children in the next 'magical land' we were visiting! (Alice in Wonderland has been travelling through the 'doors' each week to a different 'land of make believe'....and we have been following her).
So - a frenzied rummage through my kitchen cupboards resulted in the discovery of a long lost GINGERBREAD LADY in a pink polka dot bikini! (courtesy of Starbucks a very long time ago!)
And then the 'plearning' started.....
A quick run down of the learning events!
Thinking Bin Activity - guess what's in the bin? 17 quality questions and they had the answer...
Raucous laughter!
More raucous laughter at the sight of the gingerbread lady dressed in a pink polka dot bikini!
"She's crying" I whisper
"Why?" says one?
Ask her - I say
"because it's sunny in Gingerbread land and I was sunbathing...I didn't know I had to wear wellies to come to Wales" says the Gingerbread lady
Problem to solve - the gingerbread lady needs help - her brother has gone missing....can we work out where he is?
search the classroom.......search outside..................discover 3 books with a gingerbread man on them
read 3 books - compare.....
decide what to do with the sly old fox - "kick him up the butt" says one child quite passionately
make things to cheer up the gingerbread lady
build a bridge to cross the river so any other gingerbread men won't get eaten
go on a gingerbread man 'run' around the field.....but did you know he collected one piece of treasure as he ran...children must select only one thing to bring back to the classroom - decision making skills......and justify their choice......every piece of tresure is then weighed....because of course - the fox will sink if the treasure is too heavy......
.....and the learning is continuing.....!!!!
Learning to Learn Week We had a four day week on our return from the Easter Holidays. New pre-nursery children were starting school coupled with re-settling the class after a hectic Spring term full of disruption for one reason or another! Routines needed to be re-established, children needed to be re-settled and learning needed to become the focus once more! What better way than to have a 'Learning to Learn' week - with the blessing of my supportive headteacher. Many in the class had been used to the 'thinking box', multiple intelligences and thinking hats. However we decided to start with familiarity - but to give it a relaunch with the help of the children!
So here is how it went...
Brainstorm ideas for making the hats and puppets.....teacher scribe........resources available were shown to the children first before ideas were collected.......remember the children already knew about these concepts so the ideas were more forthcoming!
Activities began - thinking hats, wooden spoon puppets, thinking box decorated, smart display created with children
'Igniting the spark' activities came next - putting the props into use!
Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats can and do work in an Early Years classroom!
Here's how we did it....
6 witches hats were discovered hidden under rubbish at the back of the stockroom! They were slightly large for our little children - but this makes them even more fun!
Strips of crepe paper were prepared (the right colours for the thinking hats - red, blue, black, green, yellow, white)
Newspaper was stuffed inside the hats to make the process easier for the children
Groups of Nursery/Reception children used watered down PVA glue to paste the crepe paper onto the hats. They were hung from the tree outside to dry!
Children drew pictures to represent each hat - faces showing different emotions for the red 'feelings' hat, light bulbs for the green 'ideas' hat etc. They were then stuck onto the hat.
Hats were displayed and easily accessible by use of 6 cones!
Hats were introduced 2 at a time through the use of a story - either with a problem already involved in the book, or by us making up a problem/decision to be made by one of the well-known characters.
Children now go and get the hats all the time.......if they hear the word problem - out come the hats!
For more information on Thinking Hats see page 28 'How to Create and Develop a Thinking Classroom' by Mike Fleetham - available to buy at www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk
Thinking Box
The children have always loved the 'thinking box' activity! The took a shoebox and covered it in squares of mutli-coloured tissue paper.....decorated it randomly with sequins and it is now proudly on show!
The questioning skills of the children have developed in leaps and bounds with the use of the 'thinking box'. We now refer to 'Quality Questions' all the time and a 'quality question hat' has been created! (strip of card stapled, question marks all over it)
At first, the questions were all .... Is it a dog?
Is it a cat?
Is it lego?
Is it red?
and this would go on forever!
However with a bit of 'modelling' from the adults...........they asked the questions - the children observed and had to say after each question whether it got just a 'yes' or 'no' answer OR whether it made me give more information - we then listed the 'quality questions'.........and very soon the children's questioning skills started to develop and we started getting.... How does it move?
What would you use it for?
How many legs does it have?
Where can we find it in our classroom?
How did we get the children to understand and respond to the puppets....?
Reception children - they already had some awareness of multiple intelligences and had completed their MI (multiple intelligence) profiles visually at the beginning of the year - which were then used with parents in parent's evening.
Reception children - painted the wooden spoons....a different colour for each.....then added wobbly eyes, hair, mouths and clothes. Nothing special....resources were low in the stock cupboard! They then drew little pictures to represent each of the 'smart' puppets.....
Friend smart - 2 friends holding hands
I (or me) smart - child pointing at themselves and the word 'I'
Number smart - lots of numbers
word smart - HF words written by the children
outside smart - picture of a rainbow and tree
picture smart - paintbrush and easel
thinking smart - lightbulb and a brain!
music smart - drum and a tambourine
body smart - football and starjumps
The Reception children used these to play with and talk to each other......
How to introduce them successfully to the nursery children....I pondered about this for a while and then went with...'well - i'll start off with a circle time and see where the children lead me...?!'
Began circle time and told the children that i had brought some friends to meet them - but that they were very shy
'we will be their friends....we will lok after them' came the reply
one by one the spoon puppets emerged - they whispered to me......i whispered back and then told the children what they were saying......e.g. number smart says you look friendly...he likes your smile etc
'if we are careful would they like to come around our circle so we can say hello to them?' asked one child
well - we have to make them feel safe if we do that - i replied
as the first puppet came out to go around the circle a child said - what's his name?
let's ask him - i replied
'friend smart' said the puppet in a whisper to me......
as each child held the puppet....they whispered 'hello friendsmart' to him.......
what do you think he is smart at doing then? i asked.........'being a friend' was the answer from the children...........we then extended this by asking ' what would being a friend look like and sound like?'
each puppet was introduced in this way.........the children were great - they began kissing the puppets.....or singing a song to them...(music smart........or counting for them (number smart)...etc
then one child said - i am going to be 'music smart' today.........
another said - i want to try and be friend smart...
Perfect i thought..........the children had led the way and the puppets were now part of their learning - they had become a stimulus for extending their own experiences.....BUT it was about to get better!
One little girl suddenly said - "they look like a family.............i think they must be the SMARTIES family!"
Another child said - "yes - lets make them a house ......with lots of smarties all over it....they can live here then!"
The creativeness of children never ceases to amaze me!
A Conversation about time..... with a 4 year old child on the last day of term...
Child - Is it tomorrow?
Me - Is what tomorrow?
Child - Is it tomorrow?
Me - I'm not sure what you are asking is tomorrow?
Child - Is it tomorrow? Is it tomorrow now?
Me - hmmmm....is it tomorrow today - is that what you are asking?
Child - Yes...is today tomorrow?
Me - well.......what do you think?
Child - well i was thinking that tomorrow was coming and I was wondering if that meant it was here yet....
Me - hmmmmm....good thinking......i suppose today is yesterday's tomorrow? Does that make sense?
Child - yes - because I was waiting for it to happen and now it has......so if today is yesterdays tomorrow....what is tomorrow?
Me - good question! Tomorrow is today's tomorrow......or it could just be saturday .......or holidays!
Child - yipeeeeeeeeeeee!
A super conversation!
COMING SOON....
Assessment for Learning in the Early Years....
Arthur 2 Lynne Arthur - I have finally risen to your challenge!!!!! The sound is now added to the page - watch this space for more! My class has just received 5 easi-speak microphones and can record themselves!
<back to www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk>
Squiggle's Idea Machine
Lynne Williams (Squiggle) is one of the most creative people I've ever met. I'm envious of the young children in her classes - they get a daily diet of fun, whacky and effective learning experiences. Lynne currently teaches in South Wales, UK. Here's a taste of what she gets up to...WHAT's NEW?
You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page for new items!
Before April 2008! - A description of me, A class song, Pirates in town, Kipper's Birthday, Meet Freddy, A strange parcel...
April 2008 - Gingerbread Lady comes to class
April 2008 - Wow Washing Line
April 2008 - Learning to Learn Week
May 2008 - MI Spoon Puppets, Thinking Hats
May 2008 - Thinking Box
July 2008 - A Conversation about time...
MARCH 2009 - Children singing the class song
A description of me...
"you're just a big kid with old legs" (the most creative 4 yr old I've ever met!)
A Class Song...
A class song to start the day - the joint effort of children and staff made up this catchy little number! Its to the tune of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and includes actions, instruments, effectual (is that the right word?!) pauses and higher voices in parts! Its quite amusing to see Nursery and Reception children pull a 'thinking' face for the 'think what' section!
"In our classroom we can say that we care and share all day
Helping others, smiling lots.
Listening, learning, thinking whaaatttt?! (word stretched and gradually higher pitch!)
In our classroom we can say that we'll do this for today" (thumbs up, to the side or down)
The most important part is the singing and reference to the song all day long - creating the class ownership and safe learning community. The impact has been great. The behaviours are referred to all the time by the children.
Feel free to use...but even better...and far more effective... is to make one up yourself with your class on board. We started with ideas of what a happy, learning classroom would look like and sound like...followed with photos.....then put in an order....and then added to a song! And I'm not musical at all....so have a go!
Ahoy...the pirates are in town... the themed day included (amongst other things!)...
How many attitudes and skills were developed through one themed day?
How many different learning styles were catered for?
How many Multiple Intelligences were encourged, developed, used?
How many areas of learning in the Foundation Phase (Welsh Curriculum) were addressed during this holistic approach?
Wrapping the biggest present ever... ...another themed day full of fun and learning experiences!
(No Kippers were harmed in the making of this - only injured when dropped on his head - but he was taken immediately to our first aid expert!)
Meet Freddy...
Freddy the Frog is 12 years old. He was a (joke) gift to me by a friend when I qualified as a teacher and he has never left my side since! Freddy lives in whichever classroom is my home. He has seen more of me in action than anyone else - oh, if only he could talk human language!
Freddy has been loved, looked after, talked to, listened to and taught by over 360 children - ranging from Nursery through to Year 6 (and yes - Year 6 loved him just as much....in more of a mascot, teasing way!)
Freddy has direct contact via mobile phone with Frogland....and you wouldn't believe the problems they encounter there! BUT we always manage to solve them for Freddy and his froggy friends!
Watch out for more about Freddy and how we have helped him and he has helped us over the years.........
Freddy learns to use the ...
If you've ever worked in Nursery/Reception you will understand the problem of the toilet area - especially if they are connected to your classroom!! They can be a real sensory experience - but not of the 'nice' kind! An interesting discussion took place after a particularly bad 'toilet' day in our class. I was describing the mess to looks of horror from the children - wondering how on earth it had happened!
Responses that came from the children...
" well.....it wasn't us it must have been the ones in the hall" (the ones in the hall said the same thing!)
"well....it could have been the night elves"
"well....maybe it was you" (!)
"well......I know....I know....it was Freddy Frog...cos they don't have toilets in Frogland"
So - we embarked on teaching Freddy how to use the toilet area. After much discussion and showing Freddy what to do....the toilet area still remained a place you would not wish to go! The children's answer was that maybe Freddy couldn't remember very well. One child offered to phone her mum and stay with Freddy overnight!
Eventually it was decided to take a series of photos and make a display in the toilets!
The children took the photos - with a little help - sequenced them and prepared number labels.
It made a big difference!
It was the turn of Little Red Riding Hood this week to need help...
I received a phone call from the woodcutter - he had become very good friends with Little Red Riding Hood and her family. He was very upset as some children had laughed at Little Red Riding Hood in her school because she found it hard to learn to read words. She came home crying and very sad. Little Red Riding Hood is very good at making things and painting and jumping but she finds reading hard even though she would really like to read words. ("thats mean" says one of my Reception boys, another child says "we wouldn't do that because we care and share in here" - We have one rule for reading in our class....and one rule only.....we must always make it FUN)So the woodcutter had made up a game for Little Riding Hood to play - it would help her to learn words. But he has sent it to us first to try it out and let him know what we think.
The game - a simple matching game - HF words on A4 paper - scrunched up - chucked around the playground. It became a challenge to find them all....match them up....and shout we're ready - racing against the clock! All 15 children worked together successfully.....and enjoyed scrunching the paper up again and throwing it around the playground to start the game again. It was followed with a competition of who could shout the words out the loudest - the adults or the children! We woke up the local residents!
Then the children evaluated the game for the woodcutter...suggestions...
* do it on dry wipe boards then the paper don't get messy and wet
* stick the words on vars and drive them around
*get blu-tack and put them on the trees on her way to school
*make up a dance and song as you find them.
Next activity - find your own way to help Little Red Riding Hood with her words...you can work alone, with a friend, with a few friends....
....and off they went....
- out came the computer and paint programme
- out came paper and pens
- out came glue, scissors
- out came a drum
- out came the big building blocks and blu tack - for a word castle - obviously!!!
Some worked alone
Some worked with others
Interesting gender split - all girls and one boy went straight for paper, pens, scissors and glue and sat on the floor area - very busy and mostly working alone or with one other.
All the other boys went straight for the building blocks saying - YES we can work as a team here boys - 3 set about building - 3 others went off and cut out the words and brought them back ready to stick on - a real team effort
Final activity - make a train on the floor - sitting in line - superhero pencil fingers out - write on the child's back in front of you - visualising the words we have just read.
End of day - happy, real focus on reading in a fun....non-threatening.....way. And of course....we helped Little Red Riding Hood!
WORD OF THE WEEK in my class - 'plearning'.........mixture of playing and learning - not created by me.....created by a very creative 4 yr old in my class who simply said we don't just play in our class and we don't just learn...hee hee...we plearn! Brilliant - imagine the look on inspectors faces if they heard that!!!!
A strange parcels arrives with a thump...!
A transcript of an hour in our Pre-Nursery/Nursery/Reception class - super kids, great adults!9.24 - Large cardboard box full of different fresh fruit sellotaped up and writing put on top, deposited at high speed in the middle of the playground - on the spot 'engage the children' idea to working with fruit!
9.25 - Children arrive back from assembly
9.26 - Teacher - Something happened when you were in assembly - we heard a loud loud BANG - and we didin't know what it was!
Child - was it us banging the door?
Teacher - no - it came from the other way....and it wasn't in our classroom...it must have been outside! Can you help us investigate?
Children - YES!
9.28 - Children all walk carefully outside and around to the playground - stopping dead at the railings!
Child - there's a box!
Teacher - wow - what shall we do?
Child - go and look at it
Child - don't touch it - it might be dangerous!
9.29 - Children all run to the box - screams of delight - not one child touches it - they all stand around! (nothing to do with us adults - we let them work it out together!! - we all thought it would be ripped open by the first one there!)
9.30 - Child - there's writing on the box!
Child - what does it say?
Teacher - I don't know...I can't quite read it....Can you help me?
Children - yes
Teacher - mmmm....it begains with 't'.......ttttt.....
Rec Child - TO....!
Rec child - mmmmmm....there's 'n' - and does aeroplane action
Teacher - nnnnnn.....
Child - there's an s
Children - nursery! its for us!
Teacher - there's more words....
Child - i can see 'and'
Teacher - 'r'
Children - reception......its for all of us!!
Child - who's it from?
Teacher - i don't know - what shall we do
Children - OPEN it!!
Teacher - how?
9.33 - Children all begin working together to rip the sellotape off. Some stand back and just watch - others pass out the contents
9.34 - Child - bananas!
Child - wow
Child - look
Child - whats this paper? (opens it up) - ITS SPORTACUS!!!!!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKK!!!! (and shows everyone the picture)
Teacher - who is sportacus
Children - he's from lazy town....
Teacher - why do you think there is a picture of him in the box?
Child - cos he sent us the fruit - he eats fruit!
Child - it came in his aeroplane!
Teacher - oh! what shall we do with it?
Child - take it inside and eat it
Child - make a drink with it like sportacus!
Children - come on! (and drag us adults along!)
9.40 - One child cries as they have nothing to hold - another child says 'here - help me' and hands one handle of his apple bag to the other child
9.41 - 8 children attempt to move the now empty box across the playground - they hold it up high above their heads - hands everywhere - laughing when it falls. They persevere and get it inside!
9.43 - children standing around chatting animatedly. some quiet and looking.
Teacher - how shall we sit to talk about what to do
Child - A CIRCLE
All get into a circle
Teacher - why did Sportacus send us this package? Whisper to a friend what you think. Whisper to another friend what you think
anyone want to share their idea?
Child - i know - Little Red Riding phoned Sportacus and asked him to send us a present cos she wanted to say thank you for us helping her to learn to read
Teacher - wow - how kind! what can we use on our body to explore the fruit?
Children - eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet (!)
ok - lets go!!
9.50 - Group activities commense - fruit tasting, smelling, touching, cutting etc......lemons, limes, raspberries, blackberries, bananas, apples, pears, pomegranite, melon, oranges, kiwi
Descriptive language - disgusting, delicious, yummy, sticky, juicy, oooooo there's black bits inside it!, squidgy, yuk, sour, sweet, bumpy, wrinkly, smooth, hairy, scrumptitious
10.25 - an aeroplane goes overhead at playtime - kids shouting thank you to it madly - they think it is sportacus!
A great morning!
The WOW washing line..
Celebrating learning achievements ...but with a difference!
The difference...it's not up to me (the teacher) or any adult in the classroom to decide which piece of learning goes on the 'wow washing line' - it is totally up to each individual child. Nor are we allowed to suggest it should be just literacy/numeracy or anything else that can be recorded nicely and neatly on paper and double mounted!
Of course - it could be a piece of writing...or a sum....but equally it could be a piece of abstract art, a photo of a child playing music and dancing (they can request a photo to be printed), a print out from the computer, a moment the child describes (e.g. helping someone) which an adult scribes (my class are 3-5yr olds)The only criteria is that it's something they are proud of achieving.
It generates much discussion, focusses on personal choice and personal reflection and can be changed as often as they like!
All of the intelligences are celebrated..................
It's just a slight variation on the
'Fleetham Esteem Board'
(Book - 'Multiple Intelligences in practice' by Mike Fleetham Page 78 - available to buy at www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk )
...which works with younger kids.So what happens when a GINGERBREAD LADY dressed in a pink polka-dot bikini arrives in your Early Years classroom.....?
So - how did a gingerbread lady dressed in a pink polka dot bikini arrive in the classroom?
Basically - a late night at a Governor's Meeting meant I was too tired to stop at Tesco's to pick up the regular 'gingerbread man'! HOWEVER a gingerbred man was needed to engage the children in the next 'magical land' we were visiting! (Alice in Wonderland has been travelling through the 'doors' each week to a different 'land of make believe'....and we have been following her).
So - a frenzied rummage through my kitchen cupboards resulted in the discovery of a long lost GINGERBREAD LADY in a pink polka dot bikini! (courtesy of Starbucks a very long time ago!)
And then the 'plearning' started.....
A quick run down of the learning events!
.....and the learning is continuing.....!!!!
Learning to Learn WeekWe had a four day week on our return from the Easter Holidays. New pre-nursery children were starting school coupled with re-settling the class after a hectic Spring term full of disruption for one reason or another! Routines needed to be re-established, children needed to be re-settled and learning needed to become the focus once more! What better way than to have a 'Learning to Learn' week - with the blessing of my supportive headteacher. Many in the class had been used to the 'thinking box', multiple intelligences and thinking hats. However we decided to start with familiarity - but to give it a relaunch with the help of the children!
So here is how it went...
Thinking Hats
Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats can and do work in an Early Years classroom!
Here's how we did it....
- 6 witches hats were discovered hidden under rubbish at the back of the stockroom! They were slightly large for our little children - but this makes them even more fun!
- Strips of crepe paper were prepared (the right colours for the thinking hats - red, blue, black, green, yellow, white)
- Newspaper was stuffed inside the hats to make the process easier for the children
- Groups of Nursery/Reception children used watered down PVA glue to paste the crepe paper onto the hats. They were hung from the tree outside to dry!
- Children drew pictures to represent each hat - faces showing different emotions for the red 'feelings' hat, light bulbs for the green 'ideas' hat etc. They were then stuck onto the hat.
- Hats were displayed and easily accessible by use of 6 cones!
- Hats were introduced 2 at a time through the use of a story - either with a problem already involved in the book, or by us making up a problem/decision to be made by one of the well-known characters.
- Children now go and get the hats all the time.......if they hear the word problem - out come the hats!
For more information on Thinking Hats see page 28 'How to Create and Develop a Thinking Classroom' by Mike Fleetham - available to buy at www.thinkingclassroom.co.ukThinking Box
The children have always loved the 'thinking box' activity! The took a shoebox and covered it in squares of mutli-coloured tissue paper.....decorated it randomly with sequins and it is now proudly on show!The questioning skills of the children have developed in leaps and bounds with the use of the 'thinking box'. We now refer to 'Quality Questions' all the time and a 'quality question hat' has been created! (strip of card stapled, question marks all over it)
At first, the questions were all ....
Is it a dog?
Is it a cat?
Is it lego?
Is it red?
and this would go on forever!
However with a bit of 'modelling' from the adults...........they asked the questions - the children observed and had to say after each question whether it got just a 'yes' or 'no' answer OR whether it made me give more information - we then listed the 'quality questions'.........and very soon the children's questioning skills started to develop and we started getting....
How does it move?
What would you use it for?
How many legs does it have?
Where can we find it in our classroom?
Multiple Intelligence Puppets
How did we get the children to understand and respond to the puppets....?
The Reception children used these to play with and talk to each other......
How to introduce them successfully to the nursery children....I pondered about this for a while and then went with...'well - i'll start off with a circle time and see where the children lead me...?!'
- Began circle time and told the children that i had brought some friends to meet them - but that they were very shy
- 'we will be their friends....we will lok after them' came the reply
- one by one the spoon puppets emerged - they whispered to me......i whispered back and then told the children what they were saying......e.g. number smart says you look friendly...he likes your smile etc
- 'if we are careful would they like to come around our circle so we can say hello to them?' asked one child
- well - we have to make them feel safe if we do that - i replied
- as the first puppet came out to go around the circle a child said - what's his name?
- let's ask him - i replied
- 'friend smart' said the puppet in a whisper to me......
- as each child held the puppet....they whispered 'hello friendsmart' to him.......
- what do you think he is smart at doing then? i asked.........'being a friend' was the answer from the children...........we then extended this by asking ' what would being a friend look like and sound like?'
- each puppet was introduced in this way.........the children were great - they began kissing the puppets.....or singing a song to them...(music smart........or counting for them (number smart)...etc
- then one child said - i am going to be 'music smart' today.........
- another said - i want to try and be friend smart...
Perfect i thought..........the children had led the way and the puppets were now part of their learning - they had become a stimulus for extending their own experiences.....BUT it was about to get better!One little girl suddenly said - "they look like a family.............i think they must be the SMARTIES family!"
Another child said - "yes - lets make them a house ......with lots of smarties all over it....they can live here then!"
The creativeness of children never ceases to amaze me!
A Conversation about time..... with a 4 year old child on the last day of term...
Child - Is it tomorrow?
Me - Is what tomorrow?
Child - Is it tomorrow?
Me - I'm not sure what you are asking is tomorrow?
Child - Is it tomorrow? Is it tomorrow now?
Me - hmmmm....is it tomorrow today - is that what you are asking?
Child - Yes...is today tomorrow?
Me - well.......what do you think?
Child - well i was thinking that tomorrow was coming and I was wondering if that meant it was here yet....
Me - hmmmmm....good thinking......i suppose today is yesterday's tomorrow? Does that make sense?
Child - yes - because I was waiting for it to happen and now it has......so if today is yesterdays tomorrow....what is tomorrow?
Me - good question! Tomorrow is today's tomorrow......or it could just be saturday .......or holidays!
Child - yipeeeeeeeeeeee!
A super conversation!
COMING SOON....
Assessment for Learning in the Early Years....
Arthur 2 Lynne Arthur - I have finally risen to your challenge!!!!! The sound is now added to the page - watch this space for more! My class has just received 5 easi-speak microphones and can record themselves!